(Courtesy of Chofetz Chaim) In recent years the Bergen County community has grown by leaps and bounds, and with that comes the need to continue building high-quality schools that offer both a stellar Torah and secular education. With this in mind, a new Chofetz Chaim-affiliated, all-boys elementary school yeshiva is being founded in Bergen County. The hope is that this school will allow children to be educated within the community while offering more personalized attention in a smaller, warm environment permeated with a love for Torah.
In 1933, Rabbi Dovid Leibowitz, a great nephew of Rabbi Yisroel Meir Kagan, otherwise known as the Chofetz Chaim, founded the Rabbinical Seminary of America, often referred to as just «Chofetz Chaim,» in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens. Rabbi Leibowitz was a disciple of Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel, «The Alter of Slabodka,» and he also studied under Rabbi Naftoli Trup and the renowned Chofetz Chaim in the Radun Yeshiva. In 1941, after its founder passed away, the yeshivah was then headed and developed by his son, Rabbi Hannoch Leibowitz, a»h. Today the Chofetz Chaim Yeshivah is led by two of Rabbi Hanoch’s close disciples, Rabbi Dovid Harris and Rabbi Akiva Grunblatt.
The goal of Chofetz Chaim Yeshivos across America is Harbatzat Torah, or the spreading of Torah, which is done by creating an environment where there is a strong kesher, or connection, with a rav, a commitment to Ahavat Hashem and an effusive love for Torah learning. There is a strong emphasis on textual learning, and mastering textual skills, with learning b’iyun or in depth, and emphasis on quality of learning being central tenets. Chofetz Chaim educators are devoted to developing exemplary middos in all their students and usually live in the communities they work in so they can develop a maximal relationship with their students and help them thrive.
In addition, the new school will have a very strong commitment to secular studies, with a top team of educators and consultants being hired, to enable our sons to be competitive and successful in whatever paths they choose for themselves. The plan is to open the school in September 2020, with grades pre-k, kindergarden and first grade, and add one additional grade each year until we have our own fully thriving all-boys Yeshiva elementary school in Bergen County.
For more information, please join us on Wednesday, October 30, at 8:30 p.m., at the Beth Abraham Social Hall, on 396 New Bridge Road in Bergenfield, as we are joined by a team of Chofetz Chaim educators to hear more about this incredible opportunity to expand the scope of Torah in our midsts.
